How food insecure are residents in Malawi’s major cities?

Abstract

Increasing urbanisation could pose significant food insecurity challenges in Africa, yet little has been researched regarding food insecurity in urban Africa. This study compared the levels and severity of food insecurity in Malawi’s four major cities using data from Malawi’s fourth Integrated Household Survey (2016/17). Urban food insecurity was found to be relatively low and less severe in Blantyre, Lilongwe, Mzuzu and Zomba compared to published rural statistics. Lilongwe had the highest level of food insecurity. The majority of households experienced seasonal food insecurity four months of the year and spent three-quarters of their budget on food. Poor households with uneducated male heads with a high number of dependents, few income sources were most likely to experience food insecurity. Interventions to improve the availability and accessibility of livelihood options for urban households would improve food security.